If I mention the words 'body shame' or 'positive body image', what is the first thing that comes to your mind? I did this experiment with my roommate: she mention 'anorexia'. Then I asked, what about gender? Male or female? And so she said female. This got me thinking, why do we pin this issue to just one gender? This is a problem that affects both females and males. It is true that sometimes is difficult to picture guys having a hard time or being tease about their looks and even having eating disorders and mental health issues. Though this is not an excuse not to consider guys also should be accepted and love by who they are and how they look. This image is a screenshot I took while googling for positive body image art in guys. I was sad to see how the vast majority of pictures were mostly about girls learning to love themselves. According to a research reported by The Guardian, body image concerns more men than women. At first, this result might surprise some as we relate women being more involved in how they look. However, we as a society have also idealised a certain body type for men. Belly bears, man boobs, too much hair, going bald, etc are some of the things that people ridicule about men's aspect. The study was based on 394 British men with "high levels of anxiety about their bodies and that some resort to compulsive exercise, strict diets, laxatives or making themselves sick in an attempt to lose weight or achieve a more toned physique". The statistics shown in the report were definitely a big eye opening for anyone who believes body shaming concerns only females: Some three in five men (58.6%) said body talk affected them, usually negatively. Some 12% said they would trade a year of life if they could have their ideal body weight and shape, 15.2% would give up two to five years, 5.3% would forego six to 10 years and 5.3% would sacrifice a decade or more."- Rosi Prescott, Central YMCA's chief executive. I came across an article in Ravishly about 7 Men to Follow in the Body Positive Movement. Businessmen with their brands, fashion bloggers, activists, etc. Really inspiring men worth to know about, some of them are:
Besides blogs and accounts dedicated to positive body image in men, there are several youtube videos discussing the importance of being happy with who you are. For example, the SoulPancake channel created of men discussing their personal thoughts and experiences regarding body image: What my body should look like and what your body should look like are completely different things...I don't know that there is a perfect what a male body should look like, I've seen beautiful men and female bodies in all different shapes and sizes" Breaking the stereotype that body image concerns only women is the first step to help men accept who they are for how they look.
-Mafer
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